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Xbox testing disc-to-digital feature that digitizes a physical game collection

2026-07-01T13:46:46-04:00

Microsoft will likely soon follow Sony and stop the production of physical discs for Xbox games. But instead of leaving physical discs behind entirely, sources familiar with Microsoft's plans tell me the company has quietly been working on a disc-to-digital feature that will allow Xbox owners to digitize their existing physical game collections.

Xbox employees recently started testing this new feature, after references to "enable Disc2Digital" appeared in the Xbox PC app code in May. I'm told that Microsoft's disc-to-digital feature will work on Xbox One and Xbox Series X discs only, and not those for the Xbox 360 or original Xbox console.

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Xbox weighs canceling Blade game and shuttering Arkane

2026-06-30T12:38:18-04:00

Microsoft is set to announce a wave of layoffs for its Xbox studios and employees next week. Sources familiar with Microsoft's plans tell The Verge that the layoffs will lead to studio closures or spinoffs, potential mergers of studios, and canceled games.

I understand Microsoft is currently weighing closing at least five studios, including the developers behind Marvel's Blade. Sources tell me Microsoft wants to cancel Blade as part of a wave of cost cuts and job losses that are planned for the company's Xbox gaming division.

Developed by France-based Arkane Studios, best-known for the Dishonored series, Blade was originally supposed to de …

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Microsoft restricts Claude Fable for employees over data retention concerns

2026-06-10T14:58:05-04:00

Anthropic released Claude Fable, its first Mythos-class AI model, yesterday and it's already causing concerns inside Microsoft. Sources tell me that Microsoft is limiting the use of Claude Fable 5 for employees because of Anthropic's new data retention requirements.

While Microsoft quickly rolled out Claude Fable 5 to its GitHub Copilot and Foundry customers, I'm told the model isn't available in the model picker that Microsoft employees use for internal versions of GitHub Copilot. All other Claude models are still available internally at Microsoft, because they operate under Zero Data Retention (ZDR) rules.

I understand that Microsoft ha …

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SwitchBot’s acquisition of Nanoleaf is about more than lighting

2026-06-03T08:15:41-04:00

Nanoleaf has made a name for itself by developing smart color-changing LED lighting products, including wall panels, TV mirroring, and display cases. | Image: Nanoleaf

Smart lighting company Nanoleaf has been acquired by OneRobotics, the parent company of SwitchBot. In an exclusive interview with The Verge, Nanoleaf CEO Gimmy Chu says the company will remain independent and that he and his cofounder and COO, Christian Yan, will continue to run it. "Nothing is changing operationally," says Chu, adding that there are plans for product integrations between the two smart home companies.

The sale, which Chu characterized as "more of a merger," will provide Nanoleaf with significant resources, including a cash infusion that will, among other things, help the company grow its team at its Toronto headquarters. I …

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Microsoft could be the next Big Tech antitrust target

2026-06-01T09:23:39-04:00

Over the past several years, Microsoft has largely managed to withstand populist calls to break up Big Tech while peers faced sweeping lawsuits. But a probe by the Federal Trade Commission suggests that grace period could be nearing an end.

Earlier this year, Bloomberg outlined the contents of civil investigative demands (CIDs) - similar to a subpoena - the FTC sent to at least half a dozen companies that compete with Microsoft. New details obtained by The Verge further reveal the FTC's interests, suggesting the agency is particularly concerned with potentially exclusionary behavior around Microsoft's Azure cloud services, as well as its ro …

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Here’s what Microsoft is offering long-serving employees to voluntarily retire

2026-05-06T14:38:09-04:00

Microsoft revealed last month that it's planning to offer long-serving employees in the US the ability to voluntarily retire. While the terms of the buyout were supposed to be announced to employees tomorrow, sources at Microsoft tell me the company has posted them on its internal HR website a little earlier than expected.

US employees whose combined years of service added to their age totals 70 or more will be eligible for voluntary retirement, and the package will include five years of access to Microsoft's healthcare coverage, a lump sum cash severance payment, and six months of vesting for unvested stock options.

The five years of medi …

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Microsoft’s Office and LinkedIn chief now runs Teams in latest reshuffle

2026-05-06T08:39:43-04:00

Microsoft's LinkedIn chief, Ryan Roslansky, took on an expanded role at the company as head of Office last year, and he's now getting more responsibilities as part of the latest leadership reshuffle inside Microsoft. Sources tell me that the Microsoft Teams organization is moving to report to Roslansky, who will now lead a new Work Experiences Group at Microsoft.

The changes, which come a week after Roslansky named a new CEO of LinkedIn, are part of a broader reshuffle triggered by Rajesh Jha, executive vice president of Microsoft's experiences and devices group, retiring from Microsoft after more than 35 years. Jha was responsible for the …

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Zombies, Run! is officially back from the dead

2026-05-04T17:50:06-04:00

Runner 5, we are so back. | Image: Naomi Alderman

Starting tomorrow, Zombies, Run! fans will be able to download a new eight-part story for the fitness app. That's nothing short of a miracle.

In 2012, Zombies, Run! was one of the first fitness apps to find a dedicated community. A big part of that success was that it combined a couch-to-5K plan with immersive audio storytelling set in a zombie apocalypse. Six to Start - the company behind the game - was eventually sold to OliveX, a dubious purveyor of crypto and NFT products. It then fell into the same trap that befalls many indie apps and games after acquisition. A little over a year ago, all but two Six to Start staffers had been laid of …

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Microsoft is giving its Xbox employees an Xbox email address

2026-04-29T11:46:20-04:00

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma wants everyone to know: "We are Xbox." Just last week, she scrapped Microsoft Gaming as the name of Microsoft's gaming division in favor of simply Xbox. Now, to reinforce that message, sources at Xbox tell me that all Xbox employees are getting an @xbox.com email address next month.

The new Xbox email address will replace an existing @microsoft.com address as the default way to send new emails, and employees will be able to opt-out and keep their Microsoft email address as the default send-from address instead. Mojang employees will also be given an @mojang.com email address, and both Xbox and Mojang employees will stil …

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Microsoft’s new Xbox chief is ‘reevaluating’ exclusive games

2026-04-24T07:14:11-04:00

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma held an all-hands meeting this morning and laid out her strategy for a "return of Xbox" with employees. While rebranding Microsoft Gaming back to Xbox was part of the agenda, Sharma also revealed that Xbox is looking into "reevaluating" Xbox exclusive games and windowed releases of titles.

It's a hot topic for Xbox fans, who were shocked when Microsoft decided to start porting games over to PlayStation and Nintendo Switch, but there's no firm commitment on a return to Xbox exclusives just yet. "Along the way, we will reevaluate our approach to exclusivity, windowing, and AI, and share more as we learn and decide," says …

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